When I was counting down my list of favorite albums in late 2011 and early 2012, I still hadn’t really heard much electronic music, and the only trip-hop I was familiar with was the Sneaker Pimp...
During the grunge explosion of the early ’90s, Alice in Chains never quite became the “it” band the way their Seattle peers Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden (in that order) ultima...
Every once in a while, I’ll come across an album whose first track is so good it takes me days, months, or even years to get past it. My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and its opening track &...
This may be a little hard to believe, but Pearl Jam — the most popular rock band of the ’90s — actually had a very impressive second decade, turning in four quality albums in the new...
Two years ago, when I finalized my 100 favorite albums list, Nirvana’s Nevermind weighed in at #95, which is pretty low for a Millennial who has continuously devoured all things alternative rock...
I can still remember the first time I heard Depeche Mode. Shortly after the ’90s wrapped up in, say, the fall of 2002, the now-defunct radio station 99.1 WHFS in the Annapolis/Washington/Baltimo...
In retrospect — a word I use loosely here, since 21 was released less than two and a half years ago — 21‘s astonishing success in a supposedly post-music-buying era makes a lot of se...
Artistically and commercially, R.E.M.’s first nine albums can be pretty cleanly divided into three groups. Murmur (1983), Reckoning (1984) and Fables of the Reconstruction (1985) share a murky, ...
Green River came so close to making my 100 favorite albums list. I know I have said that about several albums I have profiled so far for my In Rotation column, but Green River was easily one of the la...
DJ Shadow’s groundbreaking album Endtroducing… has, so far at least, remained beyond the reach of the masses, which is too bad. Within the music community, Endtroducing… is a treasur...
When I was making my 100 favorite albums list, I really thought (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? was going to make the cut. But alas, I ran out of room for it. To be honest, I hadn’t been...
For some reason, these In Rotation entries have all focused on albums made in the past 15-20 years so far. I think after finishing my albums list, I wanted to pay more attention to the modern; it̵...
At least four albums on my favorite albums list would rank higher if I had to do the list again now. One of them is Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, which revolutionized hip-hop upon its release at the en...